Observations on economics, the academy, the wider world, and things that run on rails.

5.11.12

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.

The current State's Attorney for DeKalb County requests an investigation of the Northern Illinois University police department.

On the eve of the election, DeKalb County State's Attorney Clay Campbell asked state police to investigate the Northern Illinois University Police Department for withholding evidence favorable to an NIU officer accused of raping a student.

A judge ruled Friday that NIU police intentionally hid statements from witnesses who said the alleged victim told them she had a consensual sexual relationship with then-NIU police officer Andrew Rifkin. Rifkin's defense attorney asked Judge Robbin Stuckert to throw out the charges because of it; Stuckert is expected to announce her decision Friday.

Campbell did not attend Friday's hearing, but said that after reading the transcript, he decided NIU police's conduct warranted an outside investigation. He is asking state police to target NIU Police Chief Don Grady and the entire police department.

Meanwhile, NIU President John G. Peters asked state police to review and help with all of NIU police's pending investigations as state police saw fit.

Note: this is a new investigation. It is not, as far as I know, collateral damage of the coffee fund.

Because it's election season, the Democrat seeking the State's Attorney post has his own request.

Richard Schmack, the Democrat opposing Campbell in today's state's attorney election, argued the state's attorney's office also should be investigated. Schmack said the issue partly involved the communication between the two agencies, although he emphasized he did not know if either agency had acted inappropriately.

“Clearly what happened in court is a result of the interplay between the state's attorney's office and the NIU police," Schmack said.

Campbell said he would cooperate with a state police investigation, even if it led to his own office.

Some commenters on the story are suggesting the timing of the investigation is politically motivated.